Bulk Trader
Wreck · Fort Lauderdale
26° 08.610' N 80° 03.835' W
Technical Hypoxic Trimix Max 330 ft Avg 280 ft Hot Drop
Today PMPoor
Details
Technical Hypoxic Trimix
Minimum recommended certification
- Max depth
- 330 ft
- Average depth
- 280 ft
- Access
- Hot Drop
- Sea state today
- AMPoor PMPoor
Video
🎥 Nick Morel
Pictures 5
Where it is
26° 08.610' N 80° 03.835' W
Next boats to this site 0
No confirmed trips to this site are listed yet.
Operators that dive here
Best Gas
Gas prices
| Diluent tank | $35.50 |
| O2 tank | $10.00 |
Gas prices
| Aluminum 80 | $10 |
| Steel HP 100 | $10 |
| Steel LP 85 | $10 |
Wreck Details
Sunk October 4th, 2002
Workboat
180 ftLength
? ftBeam
Site description
This wreck sits very deep off the coast at Fort Lauderdale. She sits upright and is intact - really intact. Divers may spot part of the original white paint of the wreck even after more than 20 years underwater.
There is not a lot of marine life in this wreck - mostly jacks and pompanos. Lion fish are counted by the dozen in this wreck.
Penetration is possible in this wreck.
This dive is for advanced divers only.
Route & typical conditions
Route
This dive always starts with a hot drop and finishes as a drift dive.
If the hot drop is successful - the hit rate for this wreck may not be high given its depth - divers should explore the outside of the wreck first, where there is plenty to see at both the stern and bow.
Th bow offers a nice photo opportunity of the wheelhouse and part of the superstructure. While the stern is mostly open and access to the level below the main deck is possible. Here is where smaller marine life tends to congregate.
Typical conditions
This wreck is dark due to depth. Surface currents tend to alter the calculations for the drop, but at depth currents tend to disappear completely. Divers should expect a drop in temperature, often drastic, especially in summer. Average temperature year around is upper 60s F.
Visibility ranges from 30 to 50 feet.
Wreck history
The Bulk Trader began its maritime journey as an offshore supply vessel, originally launched in 1970 under the name Eastern Worker. Despite its initial purpose for Gulf of Mexico oil fields, fate led it to serve as a coastal freighter throughout the Caribbean, undergoing several name changes over three decades: Harold Tide (1974), Balboa, Atlas VI (1985), Maya Trader (1989), and finally, Bulk Trader (1992).
On October 4, 2002, the Bulk Trader found a new purpose—it was intentionally scuttled in 320 feet of water off the coast at Fort Lauderdale to become an artificial reef. Due to its depth, only a few intrepid divers have explored this submerged treasure. The wreck provides 40 feet of relief and likely hosts a variety of deep-water species, including Snowy and Warsaw grouper.
Divers' uploaded pictures
No diver pictures yet.
